After the French & Indian War, Britain gained new territory. The keep control over this new expanding territory, Britain sent in a "standing army." A standing army is a professional military unit maintained even during peace time. To house this army, Britain passed the Quartering Act of 1765. The Quartering Act forced colonists to provide housing for British Soldiers.

THE STAMP ACT

In 1765 the Stamp Act was passed. It stated that any printed paper, including legal documents, had to be taxed and have a stamp proving that the stamp had been paid. The Stamp Act was the first direct tax on individual colonists. It was passed to help pay for the debt that Britain had accumulated during the French & Indian War, and more specifically, to pay for the standing army that the British had sent over to the colonies.

The colonists were upset about the Quartering Act & the Stamp Act. These unfair laws inspired people to organize protest groups that spread throughout the colonies. A protest is the act of expressing disapproval or objecting to something. The Sons of Liberty was a secret patriotic society that formed after the passing of the Stamp Act. Sam Adams became the leader of the group. They organized protests and boycotts. A boycott is the refusal to participate in something or refusal purchase a product from an individual or group to make a point.

THE DECLARATORY ACT

Great Britain eventually agreed to repeal the Stamp Act. To repeal means to undo or cancel a law that has already been passed. But after the Stamp Act was repealed, British Parliament passed the Declaratory Act of 1766 instead. The Declaratory Act stated that Great Britain had the right to pass any laws in the future over the colonies that it saw fit, regardless of the fact that the colonists didn't approve.

There was nothing that the colonists could do about these laws, because they had no representation in British Parliament. Many colonists viewed British laws and taxes as dangers to their liberty. They disliked what they believed to be a system that supported corrupt British officials and gave no power to the colonists.

THE TOWNSHEND ACTS

The Sons of Liberty led wild protests and boycotts against the Stamp Act in the colonies. Their reactions played a key role in ending the Stamp Act. The group rose again after the Townshend Acts were passed. The Townshend Acts put an extra tax on most basic colonial goods such as glass, paint, paper and tea. This time the Sons of Liberty organized a boycott of British goods that were taxed by the Townshend Acts. British trade suffered, and Britain was forced to repeal most of the Townshend Acts in 1770.

What occurred next is not completely clear, but it is believed that something struck one of the British officers, causing him to fire shots into the crowd in fear. Other soldiers began to fire as well. Three colonists died on the scene and two more died later. The Boston Massacre stoked the colonists anger and united them even more against the British.

THE TEA ACT

The British government repealed most of the Townshend Acts in April 1770, but the tax on tea remained. The problem for Britain was that colonists were not buying the English tea because of a boycott and Britain needed to sell its tea! Instead of buying tea from Britain, the colonists smuggled tea in from Dutch companies.

In 1773, Britain passed the Tea Act. Under this new law, the British East India Company could sell tea directly to the colonies without first going through colonial merchants and stores. The new law also stated that the company did not have to pay any taxes either.

This made the price of the British East India Company's tea so low that colonial merchants and stores could no longer compete with the British East India Company's super low tea prices. Their tea was now the cheapest on the market, and they held a monopoly on tea sales in the colonies. A monopoly is the exclusive right to sell or trade a a particular product or service. The Tea Act put a lot of local stores out of business while Britain continued to take taxes from Tea sales.

On the evening of December 16, 1773, colonists who were dressed as American Indians dumped hundreds of chests of British tea from three ships into the Boston Harbor. This event is known as the Boston Tea Party. It caused a chain reaction around the colonies. Smaller tea parties were held in other colonies such as Maryland and South Carolina.

THE INTOLERABLE ACTS

Britain responded with punishment. British Parliament passed the "Coercive Acts," also known as the Intolerable Acts in the colonies. This series of laws had three major effects:

• Britain closed the port of Boston until the colonies paid for the dumped tea.

• Britain banned town meetings and placed a military governor in control of Massachusetts.

• Britain created a new Quartering Act, forcing colonists to house British troops.

Colonists viewed these laws as unreasonable and as an attack on their rights. The colonists responded by creating the first Continental Congress. The Continental Congress was a group of representatives from each of the colonies that met together to make important decisions for the colonies as a group. John Hancock, the richest man in Boston, became the leader of the Congress. This meeting of colonial leaders set out to determine what united message they would send to Great Britain, together.